A trio of ships from the Indian navy arrived in Trincomalee this week to participate in a military exercise with the Sri Lankan navy.

The Sri Lankan military continued to donate blood in the North-East last week, despite previous comments from senior military and political leaders on how the “army’s Sinhalese blood is in Tamils”.

The Sri Lankan military continued to militarise healthcare in the North-East, holding a medical clinic for Tamil civilians last weekend.

The leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), Udaya Gammanpila has filed a petition with Sri Lanka's Supreme court to challenge the draft bill of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, presented previously by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

Gammanpila claims the proposed Amendment, tabled in parliament this week, is a violation of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. 

An official with Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Elizabeth Ward this week warned Sri Lanka against overturning the Free Trade Agreement signed with Singapore. 

Speaking at an event in Colombo, Ward warned of the risk of outward flight of investments and reputational damage. 

"Can you roll back an FTA? The damage to Sri Lanka’s reputation would be so bad in international arena," she was quoted by Economy Next as saying. 

The newly appointed Permanent Representatives for the United Nations in Sri Lanka, Hanaa Singer, met with Sri Lanka’s president, Maithripala Sirisena this week.

Singer, who was previously the UNICEF Syria Representative, will lead the United Nations Country Team of 22 Resident and Non-Resident UN Agencies, as well as act as the representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Attorney General advised the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to file a case at the Court of Appeal against the UNP MP, Vijayakala Maheswaran, Adaderana reports.

Maheswaran was forced to resign her ministerial post after Sinhalese politicians objected to her call in July for a resurgence of the LTTE to control the violent crime in the North-East.

Sri Lanka's leader of the House, Lakshman Kiriella told parliament that a draft of the new constitution would be presented soon, the Daily Mirror reported. 

The US senate confirmed Alaina Teplitz to be the next ambassador to Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Teplitz, the current US ambassador to Nepal, is reported to be a career diplomat and has been with the US State Department since 1991.

Earlier this year, she acknowledged that “the Tamil community is very concerned about progress made towards reconciliation, accountability, justice,” in her testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

In the face of continued calls for demilitarisation of the North-East, the Sri Lankan army continued to intrude on civilian life in the region, by holding a course for schoolchildren in Trincomalee last week.

Sri Lankan naval troops stationed in Trincomalee are receiving more training from the United States, despite the military’s record of atrocities and continued human rights concerns.

Members from the US Pacific Command’s Counterdrug Task Force, Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West), are currently holding a two-week course for Sri Lankan troops in Trincomalee where they will be taught on “interview techniques, drug recognition, use of force, drug testing, mission planning and search techniques,” according to a military website.

The Sri Lankan government continued to deny it has ever deployed cluster munitions, as it took over the presidency of the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CMC) in Geneva this week.

Addressing the closing session of the Eighth Meeting of States Parties (8MSP) Ambassador A.L.A Azeez said Colombo had never used cluster munitions, despite evidence to the contrary.

Tamil farmers have requested the Karaiththuraipattu Divisional Secretariat to recover cattle that have become trapped during the acquistion of 617 acres by Vadduvakal navy.

The farmers, who rely on milk produce for their livelihood, have been campaigning for the release of their land for the past two years. However the navy has refused them entry, leaving the farmers in financial hardship. 

Sri Lanka's Archaeology Department has blocked the development of the Aathy Iyanar temple in Vedukkunaari Malai, Nedunkeni-Olumadu in Vavuniya district. 

Residents had sought to worship and carry out building works on the temple on Vedukkunaari Malai ahead of the temple's annual festival from September 7 to 9.